XIII International Conference of European Association for Urban History – Session 29

From the late XIXth century onwards, both the competence and scale of Ministerial departments and State-run corporations have increased continuously in Western countries. This growth – which accelerated after each World War, and became a truly global phenomenon in the second half of the XXth century – necessitated the construction of large and well-equipped office buildings, which were often grouped together in the "administrative districts" of capitals and other major cities.